A LEADING student organisation has been slammed after it endorsed the organisation that said Mohammed 'Jihadi John' Emwazi was a 'beautiful young man'.

The National Union of Students (NUS)as agreed to oppose the counter-terrorism bill with the help of Cage, the group which supported Emwazi before he joined the Islamic State.

At its annual conference last week delegates passed a motion so it could save time, which raised fears of radicalisation at British universities.

Bizarrely, the decision is clearly so divisive and controversial that even Union president Toni Pearce, has said she will not work with Cage.

The NUS motion said the union would 'publicly oppose the Counter Terrorism and Security Act, for the NUS President to issue a public statement condemning the PREVENT Strategy and the Government's Counter-Terrorism and Security Act, and alongside civil liberties groups including CAGE, lobby the government to repeal it immediately'.

The motion was defended by Union president Toni Pearce, who said she personally would not work with Cage.

She told Mail Online: "The motion notes that other organisations will also be doing this but, to clarify, I have absolutely no intention of developing a working relationship - formal or otherwise - with Cage."

PETER FORSYTH•WIKIPEDIA

NUS President Toni Pearce says she has 'no intention' of working with Cage

The passage of this motion is deeply worrying

Robert Sutton

The decision to work with groups like Cage was criticised by Robert Sutton, director of pressure group Student Rights.

He told The Times: "The passage of this motion is deeply worrying, as it mandates the UK's largest student union not only actively to obstruct counter-extremism policy, but to work hand in hand with the very extremists such policy seeks to challenge in doing so.

"Cage has repeatedly shown itself to be a pro-terrorist group, and this motion will ensure its speakers have greater access to our campuses than ever before."

IG

Cage has said Mohammed Emwazi was 'gentle'

Cage, which is led by former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Moazzam Begg, worked with Emwazi before he joined ISIS.

Speaking after his identity was announced, research director Asim Qureshi said the Kuwaiti-born Londoner was 'extremely kind, extremely gentle and the most humble young person that I ever knew'.